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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24218503">White Noise</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Grandmungus/pseuds/Grandmungus'>Grandmungus</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Jack/Shittyverse [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Check Please! (Webcomic)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Anxiety, Implied One-sided Bitty/Jack, Jack is a disaster but we love him, M/M, Panic Attacks, Takes place right after Parse - Part III</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-05-16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-05-16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-02 17:14:10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>3,719</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24218503</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Grandmungus/pseuds/Grandmungus</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>It was so typical of Parse, to show up the way he does, to say the shit he always says...to make Jack feel the way he always ends up feeling when he's around. His voice deafening, the sounds that fill Jack's head staggering. Funny how his best friend, with a name like 'Shitty', always seems to make things better.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Shitty Knight/Jack Zimmermann</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Jack/Shittyverse [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1777450</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>6</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>22</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>White Noise</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The door slams shut and Jack can feel himself shaking, trembling. He exhales sharply, trying to breathe, but his chest is on fire. He runs a hand through his hair, time seems to slow down, and he gives it a quick tug just to make sure he’s still real, still there.<br/>
Jack reaches into his pocket, still shaking, and fumbles with his phone. He uses his free hand to grip his wrist, to steady himself enough to pull up Shitty’s contact info and press ‘call’. It takes him a few tries, but the phone is ringing now, and Jack puts all his attention into listening to the ring. Tries to will it to be the only sound in his head.</p><p><br/>
“Jack, brah, what’s up? Y’know, it fuckin’ happened again, man, every fucking time I-“</p><p><br/>
“Sh-Shitty.” Jack manages to speak, interrupting Shitty’s train of thought. His voice shakes almost as badly as his body, and he’s sure he can hear Shitty pick that up, even over the phone.</p><p><br/>
“Jack, you good?”</p><p><br/>
“Nnn-“ Jack squeezes out, drawing in another sharp breath. “No?”</p><p><br/>
“I’m on my way.”</p><p><br/>
Jack hears the door from Shitty’s bedroom into their shared bathroom open. He ends the call and lets his arm drop to his side, squeezing onto his phone tight enough that it may shatter at any point. The door from the bathroom into his room flies open and Jack freezes in place, suddenly very aware of his surroundings.</p><p><br/>
“Jack?” Shitty starts, and waits for Jack to acknowledge him. Jack’s shoulders drop, but otherwise he remains frozen. “You good for me to come in?”</p><p><br/>
Jack musters as much energy as he can spare to give a weak nod. He’s always appreciated the way Shitty asks for permission before making contact with him when he’s having a panic attack. Shitty closes the distance and wraps his arms around Jack gently.</p><p><br/>
“Breathe in, big guy.” Shitty says softly, and Jack does as he’s told. He takes a few breaths before realizing he’s instinctively biting back tears.</p><p><br/>
“I-“ Jack opens his mouth, but nothing else comes out. He shakes again, and Shitty shushes him softly.</p><p><br/>
“Brah, one step at a time. C’mon, let’s-“ And Shitty gives him a soft tug in the direction of his bed. Jack lets Shitty lead him over, and they sit on the edge, Shitty’s arms still wrapped around Jack’s torso.</p><p><br/>
Jack opens his mouth again, but all he can get out is a small sobbing noise. Shitty squeezes him a bit tighter and Jack can feel the tears. He wills them to stop, fruitlessly, and closes his eyes. No need for the tough guy act with your best friend, right?</p><p><br/>
“This about Parse?” Shitty asks, and he can feel Jack tense up again. “Breathe, Jack.”</p><p><br/>
Jack exhales, sobbing again. God, what a sorry sight he must be.</p><p><br/>
“You okay to talk? You wanna lie down?” Jack feels Shitty loosen his grip a bit as he speaks, and has to do everything in his power not to grab onto the other man for fear of losing him. Jack squirms a bit, and Shitty scoots closer.</p><p>“I’m here for you, man.” Shitty reassures, and Jack starts to relax, takes a few more breaths in and out.</p><p><br/>
“Can we-“ Jack starts to shift, and Shitty lets go long enough for Jack to lie down on his bed. Jack settles, and Shitty climbs over Jack’s legs to settle between him and the wall.</p><p><br/>
“Comfy?” Shitty offers a smile. Classic Shitty, trying to lighten the mood. Jack can’t help but snort, the briefest appearance of a smile breaking through.</p><p><br/>
Jack inches closer to Shitty, rolling onto his side so he can press his face into Shitty’s chest. He smells like sweat and tub juice, but Jack finds it familiar, comforting. He feels another small sob escape, and Shitty wraps his arms around him again in response.<br/>
Jack curls up in Shitty’s arms as Shitty traces circles on Jack’s back. “Shits…”</p><p><br/>
“Jack, I’m not going anywhere. Talk when you’re ready.”</p><p><br/>
Jack nods into Shitty’s chest. No matter how badly he WANTS to talk, he can’t find the words to say, can’t find ANYTHING to say. Even the crying noises have stopped, and Jack lets the tears fall silently.</p><p><br/>
He’s the only thing that’s silent. The world around him insists on screaming, and its voice is Kent Parson. The words he said, the feelings he brought back up, deafening, echoing. Jack’s breathing starts to get shallow.</p><p>Humming.</p><p><br/>
Shitty is humming. The tune is familiar, Jack can’t quite put his finger on it. Celine Dion? How appropriately Canadian. Shitty’s humming falls in line with the lines he’s tracing on Jack’s back, and the voices are overpowered, drowned out by Shitty’s humming, soft but all-encompassing.</p><p><br/>
And Jack is asleep before he knows what hit him.</p><p> </p><p>Jack stirs, inhaling softly. He must have rolled on his back in sleep, because he sees his ceiling as he slowly opens his eyes. He hears snoring off to his side, and smiles when he glances over to see Shitty asleep next to him. Shitty has his right arm over Jack’s chest, and his right leg intertwined with Jack’s legs. Jack watches Shitty breathe softly, the sun creeping into the room as it rises, and Jack feels himself get warm. His heart leaps into his throat.</p><p><br/>
Shitty stirs, opening his eyes and smiling at Jack. “Morning, Captain.”</p><p><br/>
Oh no.</p><p>Oh fuck.</p><p><br/>
Jack squirms out of Shitty’s grip and sits up. “Hey, Shits.” Jack offers before standing.</p><p><br/>
“Feelin’ better, brah?” Shitty sits up now. Jack looks over at him, and the sun comes through the window in a way that contours his chin and bare chest just right.</p><p><br/>
Jack’s heart thumps again.</p><p><br/>
“Y-yeah, uh, just gonna grab a quick shower.”</p><p><br/>
“Oh, good idea. I should proooobably do that, too. You wanna go first?”</p><p><br/>
Jack hesitates, and a thought crosses his mind. He pushes the thought out almost immediately, and hopes his cheeks didn’t betray him by turning pink. He finally brings himself to nod, and makes a b-line for the bathroom.</p><p><br/>
Once the door is firmly shut, Jack strips, making a note that sleeping in jeans is a terrible idea and should not be repeated at any cost in the future. The shower hisses to life, and Jack lets the cold water hit him. He shivers, the water running down his chest. He fights the voices back, but they creep in again, a cacophony accompanying the spraying of water from the showerhead.</p><p><br/>
A few minutes pass, dragging on like an eternity. Jack steps out of the shower, wrapping a towel around his waist before leaning against the counter, staring at its surface. He takes a few breaths, the world starts to spin.</p><p><br/>
A knock on the door snaps him back.</p><p><br/>
“Brah, you good?” Shitty cracks the door open to peek in.</p><p><br/>
“Good.” Jack forces a smile. “You’re up.”</p><p><br/>
He slips out of the room, swapping places with Shitty, and shuts the door behind him. Once he hears the water running again, he drops the towel and gets dressed.</p><p><br/>
Jack sits on his bed and waits. He stares at the wall, stares at a different wall, comes close to counting the threads in his bedsheet. His mind is racing, he’s grasping to figure out feelings he’s pushed down dozens of times, but this time he’s run out of places to shove them.</p><p><br/>
“Fuck.” The word slips out, and he can feel himself shiver again. He balls his fists and grinds his teeth.</p><p><br/>
“Jacky, I’m back.” Shitty steps through the bathroom door, thankfully fully dressed. “Had to take a detour to clear the rabble-rousers out of our beloved Haus. Also, smells like Bitty has breakfast going.”</p><p><br/>
Jack looks up, and his stomach growls. “Heh, guess I could eat.”</p><p><br/>
“May I accompany you downstairs, dear?” Shitty teases, holding out a hand.</p><p><br/>
Jack’s heart thumps again, but he pushes it down and takes Shitty’s hand. “Oh, what a valiant knight, please lead the way.”</p><p> </p><p>After breakfast, most of the team has filed out, leaving Bitty, Shitty and Jack in the kitchen. Bitty has started the dishes, and Shitty takes a long sip of coffee.</p><p><br/>
“Hey, Bittle, let me help with those.” Jack stands up from the table.</p><p><br/>
“Here you go, Brahs.” Shitty places his now empty mug on the counter. “Gotta piss, be back.”</p><p><br/>
“Thanks for sharing, love you for it.” Jack rolls his eyes. He waits until he hears the creak of Shitty heading upstairs before his exhales, a breath he didn’t realize he was holding.</p><p><br/>
The silence creeps in again as Jack dries the dishes as Bitty hands them over. Bitty is humming, Beyoncé, Jack thinks, but he isn’t 100%.</p><p><br/>
“Hey, Bittle-“ Jack speaks slowly, carefully, as if the wrong word might set everything off again.</p><p><br/>
“Hmm? You say something, Jack?”</p><p>“Can I….”</p><p><br/>
Jack pauses, setting the plate onto the stack and squeezing the dish cloth tightly. “Eric, can I ask you something?”</p><p><br/>
Bitty stops mid-scrub, turning his head to look over at Jack.</p><p><br/>
“Fuck, how do I-“ Jack fumbles, clearly out of his element, struggling, “Bittle, how do you-what do you do-“</p><p><br/>
“Jack?”</p><p><br/>
“Sorry, I-I’m really struggling here.” Jack lets out as nervous laugh. “Eric, I think I like someone.”</p><p><br/>
“O-oh?” It’s Bitty’s turn to hesitate.</p><p><br/>
“I…I think I’m in love with Shitty.”</p><p><br/>
“What?” Bitty drops the plate he had picked up, and it clatters into the soapy water in the sink.</p><p><br/>
“…I think I might have been for a while, now.”</p><p><br/>
“Jack, I-“</p><p><br/>
“Eric, how do you tell that to someone you don’t think you have a chance with?”</p><p><br/>
“Ha, I’ve been asking myself something similar for a while now.” Bitty mumbles, scrubbing at the plate he’s picked back up.</p><p>“So what would you do?”</p><p><br/>
“Well, Jack, I-“ Bitty pauses, “I don’t really know. I wasn’t able to bring myself to do it. You two are close, and Shitty seems super understanding, maybe you should just talk to him.”</p><p><br/>
“Talk to him? I can barely LOOK at him without falling apart.” Jack slings the towel over his shoulder and runs a hand through his hair. He can’t stand how vulnerable he must look, how weak. He KNOWS he can’t stand how vulnerable he FEELS.</p><p><br/>
“Jack, brah!” Shitty’s voice fills the otherwise quiet house, and he comes sliding down the banister. “You wanna go do something today?”</p><p><br/>
Jack pales, his eyes goes wide and he looks over to Bitty in a panic. He completely forgot they were free of practice today, and, with it being the weekend, he couldn’t even use class as an excuse not to go.</p><p><br/>
“I was thinking we could walk downtown, just hang out. There’s a new bookstore that opened that’s supposed to have a killer selection. I wanna pick up some new stuff for the reading room.”</p><p><br/>
Jack stares at Shitty as he rattles off some book titles Jack has never heard of. Shitty’s eyes light up, and Jack finds himself nodding just to make it look like he’s paying attention.</p><p><br/>
“So, you in?”</p><p><br/>
“Huh? Yeah, sounds fun.”</p><p><br/>
“Schweet!” Shitty does a fist pump, “Bits, mind if I steal him from you so we can get going?”</p><p><br/>
“Hm? Oh, of course. I’m just about finished, anyway.” Bitty smiles, taking the dish towel from Jack’s shoulder. “Bring me back the cheesiest gay romance novel you can find.”</p><p><br/>
“You got it, bro!”</p><p> </p><p>Bitch, whoever decided New England needed to compete with Canada in the temperature Olympics needs to be shot. Jack pulls his scarf tighter.</p><p><br/>
“Man, it’s pretty fuckin’ cold today.” Shitty muses as the pair walks down Main Street. “Not the coldest I’ve seen, though. Couple years ago we had snowstorms starting in October! I swear, we had snowbanks taller than you!”</p><p><br/>
“Really? That’s pretty nuts.”</p><p><br/>
“Yeah, I bet it would have killed Bitty to see that.” Shitty chuckles.</p><p><br/>
“If we really wanted to kill him, we would have had him SHOVEL it.” Jack retorts, grin devious.</p><p><br/>
“Jack Zimmermann, that is evil! How could you say that about our sweet Eric Bittle?”</p><p><br/>
“Shoveling builds character. You think my dad didn’t make me shovel?”</p><p><br/>
“Snowblower, brah, literally a lifesaver.”</p><p><br/>
Jack snorts, and Shitty bumps into his side.</p><p><br/>
Thump. Jack nearly slips and falls, it hits so hard. The worst he can recall it hitting him in years.</p><p><br/>
“Jack?”</p><p><br/>
Shit, Jack hadn’t realized that last one made him stop dead in his tracks.</p><p><br/>
“Sorry, sorry, just, uh, trying to picture the types of “romance novels” Bitty wants us to bring him.”</p><p><br/>
Shitty snorts, grabbing onto Jack’s arm and pulling him along.</p><p><br/>
Jack has never been so grateful for central heating in his life. Shitty lets go of his arm and darts into the store, a man on a mission.</p><p><br/>
The absence of the mustachio’d man makes Jack’s arm itch, and he scratches at the sleeve of his coat uncomfortably.</p><p><br/>
“Jack, you think Bitty likes cowboys?” Shitty calls from deeper in the store.</p><p><br/>
“Cowboys, what?” Jack thinks out loud, and heads in the direction of Shitty’s voice.</p><p><br/>
“Here, look.” Shitty shoves the book into Jack’s hands. He looks it over, eyebrows raised.</p><p><br/>
“Gay cowboy romance? Bitty’s from the South, maybe he’ll appreciate it.” Jack shrugs. “Can cowboys BE gay?”</p><p><br/>
“Dude, it’s 2014, anyone can be gay.”</p><p><br/>
Jack makes a thoughtful noise, squeezing the book before letting his arm drop to the side. “Let’s hope it’s cheesy enough for him then, huh.”</p><p><br/>
“Brah, would you date me if we were gay cowboys?” Shitty teases, smirking. He’s too busy scanning the shelves to notice Jack’s heart literally skip a beat and do a back flip.</p><p><br/>
Yes.</p><p><br/>
“Depends, do you have a cool horse?” Jack says instead, like a moron.</p><p><br/>
“Bruh, is that even a question?” Shitty smiles at Jack with a wink.</p><p><br/>
Fuck.</p><p><br/>
“Also, my budget is a hundred bucks, do NOT let me spend more.” Shitty instructs. “I MEAN it.”</p><p><br/>
“I’ll drag you out kicking and screaming, if I have to.”</p><p><br/>
“You better, Zimmermann, I’ll hold you to that!”</p><p><br/>
20 minutes later, Jack has found a spot toward the front of the store, and is sitting in an armchair. He’s two chapters into the gay cowboy book they selected for Bitty when Shitty emerges, stack of books in his hand.</p><p><br/>
“Shitty Knight, that is more than a hundred dollars’ worth of books, and we BOTH know it.”</p><p><br/>
“B-Brah, listen, I tried to narrow them down, but I need to read them ALL! How can I broaden my horizons if I limit myself to capitalist confines of money?”</p><p><br/>
“Then rent the rest at the library, you gave me ONE job and I’m going to enforce it.” Jack reaches out the grab Shitty’s arm.</p><p><br/>
“Just let me get the top three on the stack, then.”</p><p><br/>
“Fine, but DON’T go begging me for money next week.”</p><p><br/>
“Brah.” Shitty pouts, and Jack relents, letting go of the other man’s arm. Shitty grabs the top few books from the stack and hands them to the cashier, who rings them up and hands them to Shitty. “Catch you outside.”</p><p><br/>
Jack steps up to the cashier, and holds out the gay cowboy romance novel. He pauses, looking at the small stack of books Shitty left behind. “Oh, uh, these too.”</p><p><br/>
The cashier smiles, bagging the books as she rings them up. “So sweet of you to buy these for your boyfriend!”</p><p><br/>
“Oh, uh, he’s-he’s not my…” Jack stutters, straightening up.</p><p><br/>
The cashier giggles, handing Jack his bag. “He seems really into you.”</p><p><br/>
“I, uh-“</p><p><br/>
“Have a great day, okay?”</p><p><br/>
“Y-yeah, you too.” Jack nods slowly. He turns, clutching the handle of the bag like his life depends on in. He exits the store, and Shitty turns, looking up from his phone.</p><p><br/>
“Brah, that’s a big ass bag for just Bitty’s book, find something you like?”</p><p><br/>
You.</p><p><br/>
“Yeah, I picked up a couple extra things.”</p><p><br/>
“Sweet, brah. You wanna grab a hot chocolate or something? I think it’s getting colder out.”</p><p><br/>
“There’s literally a café right next door, so I think we can make that work.”</p><p><br/>
“Your treat, then?” Shitty grins.</p><p><br/>
Jack rolls his eyes, letting out a laugh.</p><p> </p><p>Jack pulls the lid off his cup, blowing on the drink to cool it a bit. He looks across the table at Shitty, who takes a sip before pulling back immediately.</p><p><br/>
“Ow, fuck, hot.” Shitty sucks in air. He looks over at Jack, eyes wide. “Fuck, that was hot.”</p><p><br/>
Jack looks over at Shitty, eyebrow raised. He’s got whipped cream in his mustache and he’s sticking his tongue out as if the cold air will cool it down. Shitty makes a noise and tilts his head, and Jack laughs, laughs harder than he’s laughed in a while.<br/>
He opens his eyes again and Shitty has wiped the whipped cream off his face. “Something funny, bro?”</p><p><br/>
Jack wipes a tear from his eye, chuckles again. “Shitty, man, you’re-“</p><p><br/>
Jack hesitates. There go the words, all over again. He stares at Shitty, finds himself distracted by the way the ceiling lights make his green eyes sparkle. He feels his chest tighten, tries to steady his breath.</p><p><br/>
“Jack, you in there?”</p><p><br/>
Shitty snaps his fingers in front of Jack’s face. Jack blinks, closes his eyes for a few seconds. “Sorry, uh, lost in a thought.”</p><p><br/>
“I was saying, the sun’s gone in, I think it’s supposed to snow this afternoon. Should we head back to the Haus?”</p><p><br/>
“Oh, yeah, I’m not getting my ass caught in a snowstorm.”</p><p><br/>
Shitty tilts his head back, chugging his now room temperature drink before wiping his mouth on his sleeve. “Ready.”</p><p><br/>
Jack looks down at his half-finished drink, swirls it in the cup and tosses it into the trash.</p><p><br/>
Back outside, the impending threat of snow is clear. The street has gone quiet, that special quiet that precedes and accompanies snowfall.</p><p><br/>
“B-bitch. I wasn’t expecting this kind of cold.” Shitty huffs, a cloud of his breath fills the air in front of him. He scoots closer to Jack, wraps his arm around Jack’s and stuffs his hand in his pocket.</p><p><br/>
Jack’s breath hitches, and he leans into the warmth. “Walk faster, you’ll warm up.”</p><p><br/>
“Bruh.” Shitty raises an eyebrow at Jack. “Seriously?”</p><p>“You said you were cold.”</p><p><br/>
Shitty pouts. Jack’s heart does a pirouette. He finds himself grabbing at the end of his scarf. He passes his fingers over the end of it before pulling it off and draping it over Shitty’s neck.</p><p><br/>
Jack’s face is burning, partly from the cold, and partly from…well. He clears his throat nervously as the pair continues to walk. A few stray flakes begin to fall.</p><p><br/>
“First snow of the season.” Shitty says softly, looking up at the sky.</p><p><br/>
Jack dares to glance over at Shitty, who’s staring up wide-eyed. The wind blows and Jack shivers again. Shitty looks over at Jack, blinks, and smiles.</p><p><br/>
“O-oh man,” Jack manages to blurt out, “Looks like we made it back just in time, I think the snow’s getting heavier.”</p><p><br/>
The pair climb the steps to the porch of the Haus, turning to look just as the sky turns white. The wind howls, and they retreat closer to the door.</p><p><br/>
“Hey Jack.” Shitty starts. It catches Jack off guard, breaking through the static that had started in his head again. “You know you can talk to me about anything, right?”</p><p><br/>
“Yeah, of course.” Jack nods. If only it was that easy.</p><p><br/>
“You wanna talk about last night?”</p><p><br/>
“Not much to say. Parse showed up, said some shit, made me feel like less than dirt, and then you came and made sure I was okay. You always do.”</p><p><br/>
“Cause I care about you, brah. I always will.”</p><p><br/>
“Yeah…” Jack trails off, staring at the ground. The wind blows harder and he grabs onto Shitty, pulling him into a hug.</p><p><br/>
Shitty reaches up, patting Jack on the back. “I mean it, dude.”</p><p><br/>
“Anything?”</p><p><br/>
“I know I didn’t stutter, man.”</p><p><br/>
“I-“ Jack nearly chokes, feels all the words he’s been hunting for bunch up in his throat. “I-I think I’m in love with you, man.”</p><p><br/>
The world starts to get loud again. The wind howls, and Jack can feel Shitty’s gaze bore straight through his to core.</p><p><br/>
“I-I think I have for a while. But you’re my best friend, always there for me, how could I-How could I tell you something so STUPID, something that would ruin our friendship and drive you away from me forever. I-I would rather DIE than lose you, Shitty, I just-“</p><p><br/>
“Jack.”</p><p><br/>
“And, okay, I know this seems SUPER convenient with the whole Parse thing, b-but you make me feel the complete opposite way he’s ever made me feel, I can’t-“</p><p><br/>
“Jack.”</p><p><br/>
“And how do you even work up the courage to TELL your best friend something like this? It’s-it’s too much! I’m sure you hate me now, God I’m such a-“</p><p><br/>
“JACK!” Shitty shouts over the wind, the static, any noise that was pulsing through Jack’s head.</p><p><br/>
Jack stops, takes a deep breath. “Sorry, I…yeah?”</p><p><br/>
“Kiss me.”</p><p><br/>
“W-what?”</p><p><br/>
“Brah, just fucking kiss me.”</p><p><br/>
Jack tilts his head, confused. He stares at Shitty, mouth open slightly. “Yeah?”</p><p><br/>
“Oh, for fuck’s- c’mere.” Shitty reaches up, runs his fingers through the hair on the back of Jack’s head and pulls the other man closer. Jack leans into the kiss, wraps his arms around Shitty and squeezes his eyes shut. If he’s dreaming, he doesn’t plan to wake up any time soon.</p><p><br/>
Shitty breaks the kiss, inhaling slowly. Jack lets out what could only be described, to his dismay, as a giggle as Shitty’s mustache brushes against his lips as the other man pulls away to breathe. For the first time in a long time, it’s silent. Jack feels planted, firmly on the ground and in Shitty’s grasp.</p><p><br/>
“Jack.”</p><p><br/>
“Shits, I-“</p><p><br/>
“Brah, you’re Jack Zimmermann, hockey God, super cool dude, your ass is legendary….and you’re my best friend. I’d be lying if I said I never considered it.”</p><p><br/>
“Wh-really?”</p><p><br/>
“Of course. Plus, you’re a much better kisser than the last guy I tried dating-long story for a different day.”</p><p><br/>
Jack laughs, he laughs and holds Shitty close, pressing their foreheads together. Shitty joins in, Jack’s laugh is so much more pure than he’s ever heard it.</p><p><br/>
“I told you, Jack, I’m here for you. I love you too, man. Always.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Needed to get something out because I've fallen into Jack/Shitty rarepair hell.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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